Courtyard House: I fish in the heavens, a professional bird abuser.

He forced back the pain and tears, raised his head, and glared at He Yuanchao with his triangular eyes, inherited from Jia Zhangshi, filled with hatred. His voice was trembling with sobs and a deliberate stubbornness:

"He Yuanchao! You've slandered me! I didn't steal any chickens! You're the chicken thief! You owe my grandmother compensation for her emotional distress!"

Looking at Bang Geng's "aggrieved and stubborn" appearance, and seeing Jia Zhangshi's subtle actions, Yi Zhonghai felt reassured!

Steady!

He Yuanchao, you're finished!

You're definitely going to lose two hundred yuan!

Let's see how you turn things around!

He stood tall, his gaze sweeping across the room with an air of commanding authority.

"Alright! Since both sides agree, let He Yuanchao and Bang Geng confront each other in public now! The truth will be revealed in this one battle!"

All eyes instantly focused on the two people in the room.

On one side is Bang Geng, a teenager with crutches and a "stubborn and aggrieved" look on his face.

On one side was He Yuanchao, with his upright posture and calm, almost indifferent expression.

The courtyard was dimly lit and eerily silent.

He Yuanchao looked at Bang Geng's triangular eyes, which were filled with hatred and a hint of barely perceptible panic, and sneered inwardly.

His thoughts instantly sank into the system space, locking onto the [Truth-Spitting Talisman] that emitted a faint golden light.

"Activate! Target: Stick!"

Without a sound, a barely perceptible golden light flashed from between He Yuanchao's eyebrows and disappeared as fast as lightning, disappearing into the back of Banggeng's neck!

Bang Geng felt a slight chill on the back of his neck, as if he had been bitten by a mosquito. He instinctively shrank his neck, but the chill disappeared instantly. He didn't pay any attention to it and just glared at He Yuanchao even more fiercely, ready to follow his grandmother's teachings and refuse to admit it even if it meant death!

He Yuanchao stepped forward, looking down at Banggeng, his voice calm, yet carrying a strange power that seemed to penetrate the heart:

"Jia Geng, look at me."

Banggeng felt a sudden unease under his calm, deep gaze, but he still stubbornly shouted, his voice trembling with fear:

"What are you looking at! Chicken thief!"

He Yuanchao completely ignored his clamor, his tone calm and even, as if stating a fact:

"You stole the laying hen from Xu Damao's house."

"You're talking nonsense!"

The hamster immediately shrieked like a cat whose tail had been stepped on—that's what Grandma taught it, and it denied it right away!

Make it loud!

"That chicken,"

He Yuanchao's voice remained steady, yet it possessed an undeniable penetrating power.

"You and your grandmother secretly stewed and ate it in your Jia family's house, didn't they?"

"No! You're lying! No! We didn't eat chicken!"

Banggeng retorted in a shrill voice, but the instinctive reaction deep in his eyes caused by the smell of chicken could not escape He Yuanchao's notice.

"Chicken feathers and down,"

He Yuanchao's gaze was like two cold awls, piercing straight into Bang Geng's heart. "It was your grandmother who told you to secretly stuff it into the innermost part of my stove."

Yes or no?"

"No! I didn't! You're slandering me!"

Banggeng's heart was pounding like a drum. The spot where his grandmother had pinched him was still throbbing with pain. He shook his head desperately, his voice trembling with tension.

Madam Jia Zhang was so anxious she was jumping up and down, yelling in a shrill voice, "He Yuanchao! You childless bastard! You tricked the child into talking! You'll die a horrible death!"

Yi Zhonghai also frowned, preparing to interrupt what he considered a meaningless "interrogation".

However, in the very next second—

He Yuanchao's tone suddenly changed!

"Speak louder!!! Look into my eyes!!!"

He Yuanchao suddenly roared, his voice booming like thunder!

"Did you steal that chicken? Did your grandma tell you to stuff the chicken feathers into my stove?!"

The power of the [Truth-Spitting Talisman] erupted within Bang Geng's body!

An irresistible force, originating from the depths of his soul, instantly shattered all his defenses, lies, and his grandmother's admonitions!

Bang Geng felt a "buzz" in his head, as if something had exploded!

Fear blossoms within!

His face turned deathly pale instantly! His whole body trembled!

Looking into He Yuanchao's eyes, which seemed capable of devouring everything, all his sophistry, denials, and fears were crushed by a powerful, unspeakable impulse!

His mouth opened uncontrollably, under Jia Zhangshi's terrified gaze, under Yi Zhonghai's suddenly contracting pupils, and in the deathly silence of the courtyard—

A crystal-clear voice, sharp and childlike yet strangely honest, resounded throughout the entire courtyard like a thunderclap:

"Yes! I stole the chicken!"

"Then what about the chicken feathers in my stove?"

"My grandma told me to stuff the chicken feathers in! She made me frame you, want you to pay her money so she could kill you!" "Yes! I stole the chicken!"

"My grandma told me to stuff the chicken feather in there! She made me frame you, wanting you to pay her money so she could kill you!"

Banggeng's sharp, clear, and eerily "frank" child's voice was like a red-hot branding iron, fiercely scorching the silent courtyard.

Every word was like a poisoned steel needle, piercing into Jia Zhangshi's ear and piercing her mean old face!

"Then why did your grandmother frame me?"

He Yuanchao's voice remained steady, like a judge's routine inquiry before reading a verdict, cold and devoid of any warmth.

"Because...because Grandma can't stand that you eat and drink well every day, have lots of meat and fish, and live a better life than our family! She's jealous! She hates you!"

She said you're childless, so why are you living better than her? She said you haven't even paid me back for making me break my leg last time!

You deserve to be unlucky!

I'll make you lose everything!

I'll make sure you can't hold your head up in the yard!

The sound of the stick was fast and urgent, like beans being poured out of a bamboo tube, as if it wanted to lay bare the darkness accumulated in its heart in order to relieve the forced "truth" that came from the depths of its soul.

The immense pressure brought about by this was evident in the statement: "Grandma said that if we stuff chicken feathers into your stove, Uncle Yi and Sha Zhu will definitely help us kill you!"

At that time, we won't have to pay Xu Damao's chicken money, and we can even extort a large sum of money from you!

Grandma also said... she also said that once she gets the money, she'll buy me new clothes, White Rabbit milk candy, and stew meat for me every day...

boom!!!

Bang Geng's words were like thunderclaps, exploding above everyone's heads!

Envious!

envy!

hatred!

Framed!

Extortion!

Jia Zhangshi's old face, as pale as withered tree bark, instantly lost all color, turning her into a deathly figure, as if she had just been dug out of a grave.

Her triangular eyes were wide open, filled with extreme terror, disbelief, and a sense of shame and despair as if she had been stripped naked and exposed to the light of day!

"Bang Geng! My son! What nonsense are you spouting!"

You're possessed by a ghost! You're scared out of your mind! You're talking nonsense!

Jia Zhangshi let out a shrill scream that was not human, her voice as shrill as a night owl. She lunged at the stick, her withered, chicken-claw-like hand reaching to cover his mouth, her whole being acting like a madwoman.

Qin Huairu was struck dumb, her body swayed violently, and her vision went black. If she hadn't been holding on tightly to the door frame, she would have collapsed to the ground on the spot.

Looking at her son's face, which appeared blank yet "frank" due to his "truth-telling," she felt dizzy and a bone-chilling coldness rushed from the soles of her feet to the top of her head, freezing her instantly!

Finished!

It's all over!

Bang Geng... Bang Geng admitted it himself!

The mother-in-law's thoughts... were laid bare!

The "heartache" and "control" on Yi Zhonghai's face shattered completely, replaced by immense shock and a kind of anger at being fooled. He opened his mouth, making strange "hoarse" sounds from his throat, like a fish out of water.

Bang Geng's words were like sharp daggers, tearing apart all his previous high-sounding pretenses of "upholding justice" and "protecting the collective"!

He felt as if his face had been ripped off in public and thrown on the ground to be trampled on!

Liu Haizhong's chubby body froze on the spot, his mouth agape enough to fit a duck egg, his small eyes wide open, and the keychain in his hand rattling.

He fell to the ground with a thud, completely unaware.

He felt a chill run up his tailbone, and his scalp tingled.

The sneer and gloating on Sha Zhu's face froze completely, as if he had been slapped hard across the face, the pain burning intensely.

He stared incredulously at Bang Geng, then at Jia Zhangshi, whose face was ashen, and then at He Yuanchao, whose expression was terrifyingly calm. His mind was buzzing.

Bang Geng...did he really steal it? Granny Jia...is she really that vicious? Just now...just now I was jumping up and down cursing He Yuanchao, forcing him to confess and pay compensation?

A huge sense of absurdity and anger at being deceived surged into his heart, turning his already gloomy face, which had been stained by falling into the cesspool, a deep purplish-red.

Xu Damao was so angry that he trembled all over and was fuming!

He held up the few chicken feathers that served as "ironclad evidence," his hands trembling like leaves in the wind.

"Well, well, Jia Geng! Well, Jia Zhangshi! So it was you all!"

You stole my golden hen that laid eggs!

And they even framed me! They even called me an idiot?! Amazing!

You little bastard! Explain yourself! How am I an idiot?!

You think my chickens are easy to steal?!

I'll beat you to death, you motherless bastard!

Xu Damao flew into a rage, his eyes red as he lunged forward to tear at the stick.

Under the influence of the truth-revealing talisman, Bang Geng was completely unable to control his mouth. Faced with Xu Damao's roar, he reacted almost reflexively, with a kind of "frankness".

His disdainful words blurted out: "You're such a thief! You don't even know to mend the hole in your chicken coop!"

The chickens are let out in the backyard and the door isn't locked!

What else could it be but an idiot? I could poke it with a stick and it would come right out!

That stewed chicken is so delicious!

It's all greasy! I even buried the chicken bones in our stove, under the ash, nobody can find them! Grandma said it's the safest way..."

"Agh—!!! You son of a bitch! Jia Zhangshi! I'll fight you to the death!"

Xu Damao went completely insane. His last bit of rationality was burned to ashes by the comments of "burying chicken bones in the stove" and "idiot." He howled and was about to rush forward to fight to the death.

Several neighbors quickly grabbed him and pulled him away, creating a chaotic scene.

Amidst this extreme chaos and shock, He Yuanchao clearly felt that the mysterious power acting on the stick was receding rapidly like a tide.

The effect of the [Truth-Spitting Talisman] has ended!

Bang Geng's eyes, which had appeared somewhat dull and empty due to "telling the truth," suddenly regained their sparkle.

The next second, everything that had just happened rushed into his mind like a floodgate opening!

He remembers!

He remembers exactly what he said!

Stealing chickens!

Stuff chicken feathers in!

Grandma's scheming!

Call Xu Damao an idiot!

Burying chicken bones...

"boom!"

An immense fear, like a cold, giant hand, instantly seized Banggeng's heart!

His body trembled violently, his face turned from red to white, then from white to green, and finally turned ashen!

He looked at the contemptuous, angry, disgusted, and shocked gazes cast upon him by everyone around him, as if they were looking at a filthy monster!

"No...no...I...I didn't say...it wasn't me...it wasn't me! It was He Yuanchao! It was He Yuanchao, that childless man, who used sorcery!"

He...he scared me! He drugged me! He slandered me! He slandered my grandmother!

Banggeng let out a heart-wrenching scream, his entire body trembling uncontrollably with immense fear. His leg, encased in a cast, could no longer support him, and he collapsed with a "thud."

He collapsed to the ground with a thud, his crotch instantly soaked, the pungent smell of urine mixed with the dust filling the air.

He struggled, cried out, and denied everything on the ground like a dying fish.

"Yes, yes, yes! It's sorcery! It's evil magic!"

As if grasping at the last straw, Jia Zhangshi threw herself onto Banggeng, shielding her grandson with her body. Her triangular eyes glared at He Yuanchao, her voice shrill and piercing, filled with hysterical madness.

"Look, everyone! He Yuanchao, that widow, knows sorcery! He's controlling the stick! Making him spout nonsense!"

He slandered us, a widow and her orphan! Heavens above! Open your eyes! Strike this wicked man to death! Grandpa! Grandpa!

You must stand up for us! We can't let him succeed!

She cried and wailed, pounding the ground with her withered hands, kicking up dust as she threw a tantrum, trying to confuse the situation and get away with it in this shameless way.

Yi Zhonghai and Liu Haizhong, who were originally terrified by Bang Geng's self-destruction, were brought back to their senses by Jia Zhangshi's earth-shattering howl.

Especially for Yi Zhonghai, looking at the man on the ground, excrement and urine flowing freely, and howling incessantly, and then at Jia Zhangshi, who appeared to be insane but whose eyes still revealed malice and calculation, a thought coiled around him like a venomous snake:

That's all for now!

But the Jia family cannot be destroyed!

He, Yi Zhonghai, cannot afford to lose face completely!

We must save the stick!

Otherwise, the Jia family would truly become a laughing stock in the entire courtyard, and the stain of Yi Zhonghai's poor judgment of people and leading the framing would never be washed away!

"Enough! Quiet down!"

Yi Zhonghai forcibly suppressed the turmoil in his heart, and once again put on the airs of a steward, his voice carrying a forced dignity and a slight, barely perceptible tremor, "Bang Geng is still a child!"

He must have been frightened to be talking nonsense!

It's understandable that Comrade Jia Zhangshi is emotional!

Comrade He Yuanchao, you...you...this..."

He was momentarily speechless, unsure how to describe the bizarre scene he had just witnessed, and could only vaguely say, "In short, things aren't completely clear yet! Don't let your emotions get the better of you!"

He tried to smooth things over, characterizing Bang Geng's "truthful outburst" as "frightened ramblings" and Jia Zhangshi's tantrum as "emotional outburst," attempting to muddy the waters again.

However, before he could finish speaking, He Yuanchao's icy gaze was like two sharp swords, instantly piercing through his feigned composure.

"Sorcery? Slander? Frightened?"

He Yuanchao's lips curled into an extremely mocking smile. His voice, though not loud, clearly drowned out Jia Zhangshi's wails and Bang Geng's sobs, echoing throughout the entire hall like shattering ice.

"Jia Zhangshi, you and your grandson Banggeng really have inherited the shamelessness and the ability to deny everything!"

"You won't shed a tear until you see the coffin, huh?"

He abruptly pointed to the tightly closed door of the Jia family's house, his gaze sharp as a hawk's, piercing directly at Yi Zhonghai:

"Uncle, since you are the respected and fair-minded steward of this courtyard, then the witness—Bang Geng confessed in person, and the physical evidence—he said that the chicken bones buried in his kitchen stove!"

Now, shouldn't we invite you all to go in and take a look? The truth will be clear at a glance!

You don't even know the basic courage and procedures for "upholding justice"?

Or are you saying... Yi Zhonghai, that you're blind and heartless, and you're just going to try and fool me like this?